(via somethings hiding in here on flickr)

Liam has a white collar job now, so he gets to dress up to go work, which we are both enjoying. He’s been hunting for bowties, specifically, but are they ever hard to find!

I would buy him one of each of these! They are so very pretty! I especially love the colours in the fat-striped, linen one.

(via Saint James)

There is pretty much nothing I love more in the world than the French nautical look. I own way too many horizontally striped tops.

But I didn’t realise there was actually an original company (Saint James) that still makes the same sweaters as worn by turn-of-the-century french seamen.

So now a Saint James Breton style sweater is going to the top of my wish list. They are a little dear, so it will probably stay at the top of my wish list for a while, but they are so classic and well made, I bet it would be worth the expense.

(via Design*Sponge)

I have this little dream.

Here in Ontario, owning a vacation home is actually quite commonplace, and not as hoity-toity and well-to-do as it is other places… or at least it was anyway. It’s becoming very dear and expensive these days, with our ever raising real estate.

So, even though my extended family shares a cottage, I dream of having our own little place someday, that’s just ours. Someplace I don’t have to worry about taking from or adding to in any way, or cleaning up when I leave it.

I’d like to buy an shiny old airstream, and refurbish it. I’d kit the thing out adorably. I’d put old quilts and army blankets on the beds. I’d collect pretty old plates and mugs for the kitchen. I’d spread one of my vintage tablecloths on the little table in the eating nook.  I’d build a little deck under a striped awning, and plant geraniums in little window boxes.

Ideally it’d it’d be entirely self-sufficient too (solar power and all that stuff).

Then I’d rent a far corner of a farmers field (preferably next to some kind of body of water – a little creek would do nicely) and park it there.

It would be so lovely.

There’s more examples of lovely little vintage trailers on poppytalk and love forever.

Yeah, I’m a sucker for bright colours being splashed about. So are most human beings (with the exception of those poor suckers who happen to be colour blind) which is why Dulux’s “Let’s Colour” project is so neat.

(via Friends of Type)

Lovely work over at Friends of Type, as always.

Knitting? And Kirby?

That’s all I need to know.

Sold!

(via grain edit)

This killer example of mid century graphic design (along with many others) was found and documented by London Underground workers in an long abandoned part of the Notting Hill Tube station in London.

I love that the patina of age and neglect has only added to this poster.

There’s more amazing treasures from the past to be found in the set on flickr.

(via tiny showcase).

Jen Corace is surely becoming one of my favourite illustrators. Just look at the way she draws those chubby, little diving feet. Adorable.

Proceeds from the sale of this print will go towards the gulf of Mexico, which we all know needs a little bit of help these days.

(via Put This On)

For some reason, I have been of recent far more attracted to discussions of men’s fashions than women’s.

There is far more tradition to the way a man dresses. Far more comfort,  quality and thought.

I think I’m finding that men’s fashion is more about functional and beautiful design, where women’s fashion is about fickle and artificial trends.

I am definitely the kind of person who is more drawn to design over trends. Classic style, over momentary cachet.

White cotton t-shirts. Navy pea-coats. Tweed jackets with leather elbow patches. Oxfords. That sort of thing.

So, I highly recommend the blog Put This On. It is an in-depth look at the intricacies of dressing like a grown up male. This is an example of a particularly good post.

The author espouses some pretty strict rules for dressing sometimes, and I don’t agree with him all the time, but like many things in the design world (typography certainly comes to mind) they are good rules to keep in mind when beginning on a journey to bettering yourself (sartorially). Once you understand the rules, you can go ahead and break them.

I just wish there were a female equivalent.

(via girlhula on Etsy)

I love girlhurla (aka Andrea, aka Ward-o-matics lovely wife). I love her blog, I love her lighthearted outlook on life, I love her style, I love her photography… But most of all I love the colours she uses in her images. Soft, saturated, sun-faded vintage tones I just want to snuggle up to and nap in forever.

(via kate spade)

I was never terribly interested in the handbags themselves, but I have always loved the branding of Kate Spade. When they launched their clothing line a year or two ago, I began to love them even more. Oh, to be rich enough to afford it, though!

I think the line is perfectly edited – everything co-ordinates and works together as a whole. This season bright, jewel-toned colours are mixed and matched expertly with a vintage, sixties silhouettes, which is pumped up by a whimsical touch of naive patterns and estate-jewelery-style embellishments.

Thankfully, I think it’s a look that can be recreated with basics and vintage pieces from elsewhere. Although you have to be careful – there’s a fine line in between suburban housewife and Spade’s freewheeling, bohemian socialite. It’s easy to accidentally fall on the soccer mom side of things.

(via thoughtful day)

You already know that I love carnival and and circus imagery, and that I think it’s even more lovely when it’s used for a wedding. Well aren’t these invitations just the prettiest you’ve ever seen?

Ultimately, I’m happy with what we had, because they were so “us,”  and these are a little, well, neon and girly for us. But I’m still a bit jealous.

.

(via twitchfilm.net)

This is a knock-out clip from the new movie by the director who made The Triplets of Belleville.

I’m personally astounded by the movement in it – the way the bodies of the characters moves, the way the fabric swishes, the expressions on the faces. The animation is so evocative, an almost tangible recreation of reality.

(via Polyvore)

This is the winsome new Anthropologie dress I got this weekend. It’s called the “High Seas,” and it’s by We Love Vera (and yes, I do love Vera – I always search thrift shops for Vera scarfs, but I have never been lucky enough to find any).

I’ve never bought clothes from Anthro, but we’ve got a sort-of-belated-wedding-barbecue-thingy coming up this summer, all the way back in Liam’s hometown of Thunder Bay. I figured I could splurge a little since I was so reasonable about clothes all through last year (my J Crew wedding dress actually cost much less than this – on sale).

I was worried nothing would even fit me, but I walked in, saw this hanging on a rack, and knew it was meant to be. Sure enough, it fit like a dream.

So this is – ideally – how I’d like to style it. Though I’ll probably end up wearing it with things I already have, because that’s the kind of girl I am.

(via TOMS)
I really love these espadrille style wedges from TOMS. I just bought the cutest dress from Anthropologie for upcoming summer barbecues and weddings, and I think these might be just the ticket to go with them.

But… Did I mention TOMS makes environmentally AND ethically sound products? Yeah, they do. So that’s just more reasons to run out and find them.

veggie bowls

(via Craft)

I was surprised by how pretty these clever little bowls are. I especially love their vibrant, yet natural, colours.

typography of indecisivness

(via Friends of Type)

Always lots of good font-spiration over at Friends of Type. 

At this point, being the person that I am, I’ve pretty much thought out every detail of the wedding (if not outright planned it all). We could pretty much have the wedding next month, if we wanted to (and we don’t – February is not a particularly pleasant time of year).

LIam, on the other hand, is not as organized (some might say: crazy) about these things, so I decided to get going on a file full of pretty images to inspire his celebratory attire. We both kinda know what we want, but needed a good starting place to get the ball rolling.

The overall look we’re going could best be described as collegiate dandy: Think nineteen-thirties Ivy League or Oxford student attending a summer dance.

It is a nod to our love of period literature and movies (particularly of the inter-war period), as well as Liam’s general enthusiasm for fashions of the dapper, but manly variety. We’re planning on using some vintage pieces, but trying to do it all in a modern way – so as to not look too costumey.

(from left to right)

1. Vintage 30′s haberdashery illustration

   Via: the Fedora lounge. Which is pretty much what it sounds like – a message board for vintage, golden-age, fashion-geeks and fedora-enthusiasts.

   Oh, internet: this is why I heart you.

2. Jeeves and Wooster

   Specifically, one Bertie Wooster as portrayed by one Hugh Laurie.

   Wodehouse is one of our favourite authors, Bertie is one of our favourite characters, and Laurie (along with a certain Mr. S. Fry) is one of our favourite actors. Liam and I have even named our X-Box live accounts after Wodehouse characters (Gus Finknottle, and Bobby Wickham, respectively).

3. Argyle sweater vest

   You would not believe how hard it is to find a good sweater vest in this day and age.

   Of course, when looking for duds of a snazzy variety, Ben Sherman is always a good place to look, they seem to always have a few teddy boy inspired selections. I think something like this will look quite nice under a summer weight jacket, over a vintage tie.

4. Chuck Bass

   The aforementioned Mr. Bass of Gossip Girl. He dresses well for a young lad, no?

   Beyond being quite stylish, he is a similar height, build, and colouring to Liam, so rather handily, fashions that look good on him will likely look good on Liam…

   Though maybe a little less pink and purple. I think dear Chuck is the only male on the planet who can carry those particular colours.

5. Biltmore Hats

   I’m pretty sure an ensemble like this requires some sort of hat – preferably worn jauntily. Pork pies are a little too nefarious, and proper fedoras are a little too slick. A slouchy fedora is the perfect combination of nonchalance with a touch of rakishness.

   Biltmore makes brand new, vintage style hats, in lots of colours and styles. Best of all? They’re made relatively locally (in Guelph, actually). This is a major score.

6. Titanium ring with gold rose inlay

   Liam’s very worried that, whatever ring he gets, he will either lose it, or ruin it. This makes titanium a good option in either case – titanium rings are virtually indestructible, and relatively inexpensive.

   I like that this ring has a touch of rose gold in it to reference my ring – and of course, it’s an etsy find, which I also like.

7. PF Flyer Grounder Hi

   Shoe option #1: Cute, hi-top, boot-like sneakers are both stylish and practical – they’ll be really comfortable on the big day and once that’s done with Liam can keep wearing them. They’re made by a company that has been around since the thirties, and reissues their old styles so they’ve got that old fashioned look to them – but the idea of sneakers at a wedding is totally fresh and modern.

8. Cuff links

   It’s a wedding: shirts with cuffs that require links are de rigueur.

   These pretty little cuff links are from Etsy (yay!). Even though they’re not rose gold, they’ve got a bronzey, rosey tinge to them that’s very pretty.

9. Remix Vintage men’s Bucks

   Shoe option #2: Vintage style suede shoes. Less practical, less thrifty, but a little more snappy, don’t you think?

I’ve been thinking of working a vintage look – something thirties era – at the wedding. It’s been a really long time since I played around with makeup, and I figure this is as good excuse as any to get back on the bandwagon.

It’s pretty much as tricky as it looks, so I’ve started practicing already – liquid liner swoops and perfect, ruby-red, bow lips are not exactly for the feint of heart!

Thankfully, I ran across these handy little video tutorials – this one is especially appropriate for the look I’m going for – but there’s one for every era and occasion, from Marie Antoinette to flapper. They’re super cute, and the makeup artist has this sweet and soothing Aussie accent – she makes it all sound easy!

P.S. I’m thinking in investing in some of these swanky, vintage inspired cosmetics by Besame. Aren’t they perfect!

So, you know my favourite designer? The one I can’t afford, but drooled over at the flagship store in Covent Garden? Orla Kiely?

One word:

Target.

It may be more melamine plates and acrylic mugs than fair-isle sweaters and leather messenger bags, but it’s something (my fingers are double-crossed for a future GO International collaboration, though).

(via)